Hubert Krekels on the E-depot

Since 2008 the Library has been managing the e-depot. There are misunderstandings about the e-depot, especially among Wageningen UR users, as well as questions about its content and accessibility. Hubert Krekels, Head of Collection and Information Management, would like to explain this initiative in more detail and answer any existing questions.

Why e-depot? “More and more publications are only being delivered digitally (online only) or are being accompanied by digital annexes. Traditionally, the library has the job of collecting, depositing and permanently making information available. For this reason, the Wageningen UR Library has taken the first steps towards an e-depot and has developed a unique and simple import method so that this material isn’t lost.”

What is the e-depot?“It’s a depository for documents and links. In the e-depot, you can find all Wageningen employee publications and all theses. But, also journals that the library has made agreements with the publishers about, and digital documents that publishers have not yet disseminated. Plus proceedings and other documents that we think should be preserved.Example of the e-depot works: a report is published by Wageningen UR. Because the report is in the e-depot, it is linked to Wageningen Yield, to the library catalogue and to the Groen Kennisnetcollectie (Green KnowledgeNet Collection). In this way, you can find documents from the e-depot through all kinds of websites, such as the Wageningen UR site, Wageningen Yield, Kennis Online (Knowledge Online) and Groen Kennisnet (Green KnowledgeNet) and not simply through the e-depot.”

Can you make all of this information accessible just like that?“What we save in the e-depot is not always publicly accessible. We can indicate that when we make the record. We’re very careful in this respect, and if something is not clear, we go to the source with our question.”

Who fills the e-depot?“Most of the data is entered by library staff. In the future, authors will also be able to enter their materials, which will then be checked by the library. Uniformity is a necessity in entering material, but the data entry screen has been kept as simple as possible so that it's almost impossible to enter something differently than how the library wants it."

What does e-depot provide:

Permanent and unique link

Permanent access

Uniform description

A single entry for several databases and websites

Inclusion in different databases

Findability in GoogleThe E-depot currently contains about 135,500 URLs. Half of these are publications and the other half are links.